It’s March and you know that means it’s time to teach your students how to write an analysis on a poem. As National Poetry Month descends, your feeds are inundated with poetry activities, poems to teach, and of course poetry march madness brackets. You want to teach poetry but there are just too many ways to teach poetry analysis and too many good poems for analysis. If you are starting to feel overwhelmed with your choices, let me help you! I have crafted a list of six easy poems to analyze and included activities for teaching poetry with each one. If you are ready for a teacher rewrite of your poetry unit, look no further!
Before I share my best poems for teaching poetry analysis, I want to share with you my Graphic Organizer for Poetry. I use a different handout from these print or digital graphic organizers for each of the poems on my list. By using the T. S.W.I.F.T. acronym, students will analyze the Tone, Structure, Word Choice, Imagery, Figurative Language, and Theme of any poem. All graphic organizers allow you to customize your lesson to the poem(s) of your choice. This is one of my favorite English teacher resources that I use for my poetry unit. Keep reading below to see how I use this graphic organizer for poetry in my poetry unit.
Why Make Teaching Poetry Fun?
The Perils of Poetry
Have you ever been excited to start your poetry unit just to be met with groans and complaining? Students never seem to have a good reaction to my announcement of this unit. No matter how many engaging lessons I have given them already in the semester, they just do not seem to trust that I can make poetry exciting for them.
Every semester, I would search for fun activities to create poems such as blackout poetry, haiku writing competitions, concrete poem imagery, etc. These poem projects are a lot of fun but here’s the issue: that’s not what my students will be tested on, nor is that the focus of my class. Now before you criticize me, take a moment to consider what I’m saying. I believe that my focus especially in 10th grade English is to teach analysis. While creating poetry helps to engage students, what’s the purpose? Will that help my students find the deeper meaning? Maybe. Will they be able to identify the theme and write a paragraph about it? Probably not.
We need to stop making it too simple for our students. Poetry can be difficult but creating a pretty poem project won’t help my students think deeply. So while I still allow some days of poetry creation in my class, we are moving past that to really analyze a poem. But to do that, I needed to find poems that would not intimidate my students. That’s where my list of six easy poems comes in to help.
Why You Can Totally Teach Poetry Your Kids Will Enjoy
Before you panic and scrap everything you have planned, take a breath. Friend, I have you covered! In this post, I have given you six easy poems to analyze and included the activity and the resource you can use with each poem. There is nothing to think about! Your unit can have the teacher rewrite sparkle without any work. Analyzing poetry can be a daunting task, especially for those new to the subject. However, there are some poems that are easier to analyze than others. If you’re looking for some beginner-friendly poems to analyze in your high school English class, I’ve got you covered. Here are six poems that are perfect for building your students’ skills and confidence.
Six of the Easiest Poems to Analyze
“I’d Wish You Disappear” by Watts-the-Deal is a powerful and emotive poem that explores the painful experience of betrayal in a relationship. Through vivid imagery and raw honesty, the speaker wishes for the disappearance of their unfaithful lover, acknowledging the heartache and trauma caused by their actions.
When read from bottom to top, “I’d Wish You Disappear” by Watts-the-Deal takes on a completely different meaning. The poem tells the story of a broken relationship that ends with a tender expression of love and forgiveness. As the lines are read in reverse, the bitterness and anger of the initial wish gradually give way to a deep longing for reconciliation and healing. The poem’s surprising reversal of meaning when read in reverse highlights the complexity of human emotions and the power of forgiveness and redemption to heal even the deepest wounds.
“I’d Wish You Disappear” by Watts-the-Deal is an excellent poem for teaching tone in a classroom setting. The poem’s emotional depth and vivid imagery make it an engaging text for students to analyze and interpret the tone. I have my students analyze the mood and tone in one direction of the poem. Then they consider how the tone changes when read from top to bottom and then bottom to top.
By teaching tone with “I’d Wish You Disappear,” students can gain a deeper understanding of the importance of tone in literature, and develop their analytical and creative writing skills. Want a tone handout that is ready to use with your poem? Check out my Graphic Organizer for Poetry.
Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” is a powerful and emotional poem that urges readers to fight against death and to live their lives with passion and purpose. With its intense imagery and compelling language, the poem encourages readers to resist the inevitability of death and to embrace the fullness of life, making it a stirring and unforgettable call to action.
Teaching the structure of “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” can be a useful exercise in helping students understand how form can contribute to the meaning and impact of a poem. Here are a few strategies for teaching the structure of this poem:
- Analyze the rhyme scheme: “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” follows a strict villanelle form, with a specific rhyme scheme and repeated lines. Help students identify the rhyme scheme (ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA) and discuss how it contributes to the overall meaning and tone of the poem.
- Examine the repetition: The repetition of the lines “Do not go gentle into that good night” and “Rage, rage against the dying of the light” is a key aspect of the poem’s structure. Encourage students to consider why Thomas chose to repeat these lines and what effect it has on the reader.
- Discuss the use of metaphor: Thomas uses a number of metaphors throughout the poem to convey his message about fighting against death. Help students identify these metaphors (e.g. “dying of the light,” “close of day”) and discuss how they contribute to the poem’s meaning.
By teaching the structure of “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night,” you can help students gain a deeper understanding of how form can contribute to the meaning and impact of a poem. If you want a handout that focuses on the stanzas and the rhyme scheme of a poem, you can snag my Graphic Organizer for Poetry.
The poem “Plants” by Olive Senior uses an intriguing word choice that gives the reader a sense of the grandeur and tenacity of the plant world. The poem has an ironic tone, suggesting that plants are not as innocent as they appear, and their seemingly peaceful nature masks a more complex and sinister agenda.
The poet uses words like “deceptive,” “sinister,” “imperialistic,” and “colonizing” to describe the plant world, implying that plants have a master plan to conquer the earth. She also uses vivid metaphors to describe how plants spread and reproduce, with words like “explosive dispersal” and “shoots bent on conquest.”
Moreover, Olive Senior uses words like “extravagant,” “reckless,” and “improvident” to describe the plant’s nature, which reflects its ability to thrive in seemingly inhospitable environments. The poet also describes how plants use beauty and fragrance to lure insects and other pollinators to help them propagate.
Overall, the word choice in “Plants” by Olive Senior creates a sense of wonder and awe for the plant world while highlighting the hidden dangers that plants can pose to other living organisms. The poem encourages readers to think about the world in a new way, as a place where every living being is engaged in a constant struggle for survival and dominance.
“Plants” by Olive Senior is an excellent poem to teach students about word choice. As a teacher, you can ask your students to read the poem and identify the sensory details and vivid imagery used by the poet to describe plants. Encourage them to pay attention to the adjectives and verbs that Senior uses to bring the plants to life in the reader’s mind. Need a handout that focuses on word choice, grab a copy of my Graphic Organizer for Poetry.
“Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred” – Lord Alfred Tennyson’s “Charge of the Light Brigade” is a gripping and powerful poem that vividly captures the bravery and sacrifice of soldiers in the midst of war. With its iconic opening line and rhythmic verse, Tennyson’s masterpiece immortalizes the heroic charge of the British cavalry in the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War, while also highlighting the tragic consequences of miscommunication and leadership errors. This poem continues to inspire and captivate readers with its stirring portrayal of courage and honor in the face of adversity.
Teaching imagery using “Charge of the Light Brigade” can be a powerful way to help students understand and appreciate the sensory details that poets use to create vivid and engaging literary works. Here are some steps that teachers can take to teach imagery with this poem:
- Read the poem aloud: Start by reading the poem aloud to your class, emphasizing the rhythm and flow of the verse.
- Identify sensory details: Ask your students to identify the sensory details that Tennyson uses in the poem. For example, the “thundered” cannons, the “shattered” army, and the “smoked and channeled” guns.
- Visualize the scene: Have your students close their eyes and visualize the scene of the charge, using the sensory details to create a mental image.
- Create a sensory chart: Ask your students to create a sensory chart for the poem, listing the different sensory details that Tennyson uses and the emotions and feelings that they evoke.
By following these steps, teachers can help students deepen their understanding of “Charge of the Light Brigade” while also developing their skills in analyzing and creating imagery in poetry. Looking for a simple way to have your students analyze sensory details in a poem? Check out my Graphic Organizer for Poetry.
“If” by Rudyard Kipling is a timeless poem that inspires readers to embrace courage, perseverance, and self-discipline in the face of adversity. With its powerful and memorable phrases, including “If you can keep your head when all about you / Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,” the poem encourages us to strive for greatness while remaining humble and grounded. Through its wisdom and insight, “If” continues to resonate with readers of all ages and backgrounds, reminding us of the importance of integrity and inner strength in achieving our goals and living a meaningful life.
One effective way to teach figurative language with “If” by Rudyard Kipling is to focus on the many examples of literary devices used throughout the poem. For example, the poem contains several examples of metaphor, such as “If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two impostors just the same.” This line uses the metaphor of Triumph and Disaster as impostors to convey the idea that success and failure are temporary and ultimately unimportant in the grand scheme of things.
Another literary device used in the poem is personification, such as in the line “If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,” which personifies virtue as something that can be kept or lost. By identifying and analyzing these examples of figurative language, students can deepen their understanding of the poem and develop their skills in identifying and interpreting literary devices. Use my Graphic Organizer for Poetry to easily identify and track the figurative language in a poem.
“So Much Happiness” by Naomi Shihab Nye is a poem that celebrates the joy and beauty that can be found in everyday moments. With vivid imagery and a heartfelt tone, Nye reminds us to appreciate the small things in life that bring us happiness and to cherish the connections we make with the people around us. This uplifting and thought-provoking piece is sure to leave readers feeling inspired and grateful for the many blessings in their lives.
One effective way to teach theme using “SO Much Happiness” by Naomi Shihab Nye is to have students identify the central message or underlying idea conveyed in the poem. They can start by reading the poem closely and looking for patterns or recurring motifs in the imagery, language, and tone.
Next, ask students to consider what the poem suggests about the nature of happiness and how it can be found in everyday life. Encourage them to use evidence from the text to support their ideas and draw connections to their own experiences.
Finally, have students explore how the theme of the poem relates to larger issues or universal human experiences. For example, they could discuss how the poem speaks to the importance of finding joy in the midst of difficult circumstances, or how it highlights the value of simple pleasures and connections with others. Want to start with poetry theme analysis tomorrow? Check out my Graphic Organizer for Poetry to get started.
More Resources with Examples of Poetry Analysis
The best way to teach poetry analysis is to practice, practice, practice. By focusing on different poetic elements with these six easy poems, your students will gain confidence. I love how simple it became for my students to analyze a poem once we had a system in place with the T SWIFT Poetry Analysis method.
I hope you love these poem choices and you try them out with your students. I would love to hear what new ways you use these poems. If you have some new ideas or new ways to use these poems or have better poem suggestions, tag me or send me a DM @theteacherrewrite on Instagram. You can always see what other great things I am working on in my classroom by checking out my blog. If you do decide that you want to start using these strategies right away check out my Graphic Organizer for Poetry resource so you can start tomorrow. With these poems, you are now ready to show your students how to write an analysis on a poem.
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